I’d been gunning for that box for a while, and after Thursday’s workout, I KNEW I could do it. I did 150 jumps on the 18-inch box, and I got so tired that some of them were so half- hearted. I was barely even trying and still clearing it easily. I still made Kevin come stand over by me for moral support. But I didn’t make him hold my hand like I did the first time I tried an 18er.

Because Kevin is a most excellent blogger husband, he suggested taking this picture with the smaller one to compare my progress. There’s only one higher. I’m already convinced I can do that one too, but I’m in no big rush. I have other fish to fry. Like double unders.

Who says instagram is a waste of time? I was inspired by trainerbob! I did it in honor of his birthday today. Tina from CNC also recently posted about how she made it up to 35 inches. Always room for improvement, but I’ll revel in my 24 for now!

That cute little tongue is what woke me up this morning at 5AM.

Yeah. Pippa Cordelia decided to wake me up by licking my mouth. I screamed!!! And I had to be a responsible parent and let her out. A little later, I took her on her first run. She did pretty well, but we definitely have some leash training to do! She actually escaped out of her collar at one point! I freaked because, unlike Boyd, she can actually run faster than me. THANKFULLY, she was distracted by two big dogs barking behind a fence so I was able to snag her right away. She’s getting all new (PINK) stuff, but it won’t be here till after the weekend.

She is doing so well in our house. She’s a total doll and follows me around the house all day. She is absolutely heartbroken when she has to be locked in a room for some reason. I have no idea how she could handle being in a shelter. She must have hated it so much!! Pippa and Boyd aren’t BFFs yet. I have a feeling Boyd wakes up every morning and thinks she’s still here? But it’s made Boyd much more affectionate!! Hah.

I was really in the mood for some jam last night so we bought some at Sunflower Market. I think it may be the first time in my life that I felt in the mood for jam, but I was dreaming about it yesterday afternoon.

I used a 25lb kettlebell and the 18-inch box and finished in 26:30. I was really slow with the swings and squat. The 25lbs just felt so heavy today!!!! Afterwards, I did a few box jumps on the 24-inch box just to make sure I could still do it today.

After the 1 mile run, I paused briefly to put my hair in a bun. Did you see what my hair does on box jumps? Same thing happens with kb swings and box jumps. It can be downright dangerous when I’m practicing double unders!! Oh my. But I can’t run with my hair in a bun. It won’t stay!! It’s tricky!!

Currently at home snacking on apples, PB2, and yellow chips – with Pippa sleeping at my feet.

What successes have you had at the gym/in life lately? I also adopted a beautiful puppy, in case you hadn’t noticed. By the way, a few of you asked. We think she’s a chocolate lab/Vizsla mix, but who knows for sure!

How do you wear your hair for working out? Maybe I need to perfect one of the Olympic gymnast hairstyles like the ballerina bun.

Today’s Workout: 5k in 23:49. Ugh. I was digusted by how hard I felt like I was working for that. The soreness from the strength training lately has not done any favors for my running. I kept wanting to take a walking break. No! I powered through. Haha. Plus I wanted to get home since it was almost 9, and I hadn’t made dinner.

I figured the idea of eating a mini salad out of a giant tortilla chip can appeal to everyone!! So I bought some nice whole wheat 100-calorie tortillas and got to work!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut tortillas into 6-inch circles. Don’t throw away the scraps because you can use them to make chips. Spray each tortilla with cooking spray and dip into the water. Place into cupcake pan by gently pressing down the tortilla and folding the edges. Take a piece of aluminum foil and roll it into a loose ball and place in the center of each tortilla to help keep its shape. Cut the scraps into chip size pieces and spray with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Put the cupcake pan with tortilla shells and sheet with chips into the oven for about 6 to 8 minutes. They are ready to flip when the edges begin to brown. Remove the cupcake pan and sheet – chips are finished! Gently remove the tortilla shells from the cupcake pan and turn them over on a baking sheet. Place them back in the oven for 4 minutes or until the bottom is not soft. Take out of the oven and fill with your favorite taco salad ingredients.

Aerial view. I might as well enjoy the pictures because guess what happened next?!

Disaster struck!

Yeah, that was bound to happen someday. Thank the Lord it happened on a day when I had extra food! I knocked it off the counter while I was trying to adjust for better lighting. Don’t worry, Boyd was right there to help clean up!

I had to take some away from the Boykin janitorial crew because I didn’t want him to get sick, but he definitely got some veggies in for the night. I think Kevin thought I was going to have a total meltdown because we were eating dinner around 10PM (due to a meeting). I shocked us all by keeping my cool. I think it was because I was still in that state after intense cardio where you’re not really that hungry. Haha.

There’s a reason Boyd is always lurking around his madre!

After dinner, Kevin was craving something sweet so I made some of these PB2 Cookie Dough Balls, but subbed butterscotch chips for chocolate chips. Those things taste like Dilly Bars!! I guess I just have DQ on my mind this week ever since I saw a commercial for the Blizzard of the Month: Conffeti Cake! I swear I don’t keep a calendar of the monthly blizzards, but this one just sounds too amazing to pass up!

Here’s a real question? So I struck a deal with Kevin tonight stating that for each month I don’t have a gym membership, I get to spend $100 on home gym equipment. I’m considering buying a sandbag since it’s versatile and you can adjust the weight. Heavy kettlebells are expensive!!! What would you buy with $100 for your home gym? I told you our gym was expensive and totally not worth the money. Lol.

1 tbsp agave nectar (or use Truvia & add more water to compensate like I did)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp water

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir to mix well. Roll dough into three balls and place in a covered container. If you want to eat them soon, put them in the freezer for an hour. If you can wait longer, the refrigerator is fine. Of course, you could also just eat it all right out of the bowl with a spoon. Who am I to judge?

Makes 3 balls.

Earlier…

PB&J Whole Wheat English Muffin snack at the office on gloomy day #2. I’ve become convinced that Denver weather was never that great, and Colorado is just full of optimists. Last week was awesome, but I’m not impressed with this week so far!!!

Kevin was so excited that it wasn’t a WOD day. He’s turned Tuesdays & Thursdays into a whole new thing. MOD day. MOD stands for MODERATE workouts. Kevin would love a nice 3.5MPH on the treadmill. No incline. 30 minutes. Done & done. Okay, so we didn’t go that Mod. Covered 4.81 miles over the Jeopardy! hour, but we weren’t exactly drenched in sweat. Did you watch Jeopardy! today? It was a little on the easy side. Especially the Stupid Answers category.

I spotted this recipe on SkinnyTaste last week, and I instantly knew that I would make these. Kevin’s really more the cookie person, but I’m crazy for no-bakes!!! I think it’s more like eating the cookie dough, which really is the best part anyways!!! I madea few little tweaks because of what I had on hand, and they turned out beautifully!

Combine the first 4 ingredients (sugar through milk) and boil in a small sauce pan for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and mix in oatmeal, Better n’ Peanut Butter and vanilla.

Drop by tablespoons onto a wax paper or roll into balls with slightly moist hands and refrigerate overnight.

The next day you can roll them in powdered sugar or cocoa powder if desired. Keep refrigerated if storing for several days.

Did they taste like regular no-bakes? Not exactly. It definitely cut the sweetness factor, but I totally don’t mind that. Kevin was a huge fan of them as well.

By the way, have you tried Melt?

I think I saw it first in a blog somewhere. I filed it away, and the other week I insisted on buying it a the grocery store. We’ve used it for paninis and a few other things, and I really like it. And it worked great in this recipe. I guess it’s made of coconut oil. That makes it cool, right? :)

Here I am sweetly exclaiming to Boyd that dogs are allergic to chocolate. Naa naa a booo booo!!! I said that part too. Lol.

Kevin has been stuck at work late this week because of projects. That means I’m stuck too!! I think there was only one other person left on the 12th floor by the time we got out of there today!! We totally missed our class at the gym. I’ve been wanting to take this Sports Training class. They do it in the gym and they do all sorts of drills and stuff! It looks fun!! But we totally missed it. I don’t understand how people make it to 5:30 classes. We’re super close to the gym and we can barely swing it!

We got home so late that Kevin needed to get cracking on his homework so I hit our apartment gym solo. I ran 4.14 miles @ 8:18 pace and did a 30-minute NTC circuit workout called the Curve Carver.

I had this idea to make BBQ Chicken Pot Pie Pizzas. I made a little pizza crust and then layered mozz cheese, bbq chicken, onions, and spinach on the bottom of the ramekin. The crust went on top.

But when the moment of truth came… I did not like them. It was something with the chicken or the onions. Or maybe the overwhelming smell in the kitchen just made me hate it. I don’t know. I had a little taste which totally grossed me out.

And then I did what any cool kid like me would do.

I made some mac ‘n’ cheese.

It always pays to have some Annie’s on hand. Kevin’s going to eat my pot pie for leftovers tomorrow. Yay!! He liked it. I think he actually really loved it. Lucky for me!! This time I forced Kevin to eat some of the mac ‘n’ cheese so I wouldn’t eat the whole box again.

What’s your back-up food? Mac ‘n’ cheese every time. Or it would be McDonald’s back in the old days. :) I still say that like if I have to go to someone else’s house for dinner. Like,”If I don’t like it, can we get McDonald’s afterwards?” Haha. It’s rough being a picky eater.

Do you ever not like what you cook? Usually I can get a good idea and make things a way I’ll like them, but there was just some flavor tonight I couldn’t get over. I’m definitely a lot more judgmental of my cooking than Kevin is. Which is typical. And nice.

I was in the mood for HOT breakfast this morning and totally out of oatmeal so I took a few extra minutes to try these little cakies!! They definitely had a little weird flavor (from the PB2), but they were SO GOOD with jam. I felt so happy eating this little healthified pancakes on a Friday morning!

Boyd amongst boxes. As soon as we get the rest of them cleared out, he can have more freedom around the house during the day!! Poor guy is getting locked in the (huge) bathroom during the day. He can’t be trusted until the whole apartment is puppy-proofed!

Hooray for Casual Friday!! I was SO HAPPY to find these leopard flats while rooting around in a random box this morning. I thought they had been thrown out in one of my MANY moves (5-6) this year!!! They’re a little shabby, but still functional! Woohoo! These were my winter shoes when I would come back home to visit while living in the DR. Ha. Ha. Ha. They’re close-toed!! :)

We enjoyed leftover Mini Turkey-Spinach Lasagna for lunch, and now back to work for 4 more hours!! We can do it!!!!! And then we’re going to check out another possible gym! I’m excited. I hope they don’t try telling me I need to lift more weights again. Lol.

I know it looks underwhelming, but I have been looking forward to this breakfast for two whole days! Whole Wheat Eggos! The nutrition facts aren’t too shabby, and I was feelin’ the combo of waffles + chocolate PB2 + sugar-free raspberry jam.

Curly hair & Curly ears! Do you see the resemblance? We’re going to turn into one of those pet/owner lookalikes! SAVE ME NOW!!!! Do you have any idea how difficult it is to take pictures of Boyd & me on my iPhone without dropping one of them? I’m pretty sure the neighbors think I’m loca. They’re definitely too old to know what an iPhone is – and I mean that in a LOVING way – so they just look at me while I’m wrestling Boyd and snapping photos. And it doesn’t really help that I can’t actually SEE them since I don’t wear my glasses when I run. Who’s the senior citizen now!??! And my toe is still super swollen from falling down the stairs! I think it might be broken!

Uhhh… Boyd totally wimped out. We didn’t even make it to the small lake we normally run around. I couldn’t figure out if he was limping or just lazy, but he just couldn’t hack it today. I wouldn’t put it past Boyd to fake it just so he could go home and get away from me, but he only made it 2 miles today. Yours truly kept rocking and hit 6.57 miles in 50 minutes – that’s a 7:36 pace. I’ve started to get wimpy taking water breaks and torture Boyd breaks, but today I forced myself to power through nonstop. Holla!

I don’t know why, but Kevin expects a meal in addition to that entire platter of Cookie Friday cookies, so here’s what I dreamed up today. I cheated on the bread because I wanted to run and I had to bake cookies – excuses, excuses! I used some of those ciabatta rolls you can just throw in the oven for a few minutes. I baked up a couple of chicken breasts and mixed in these ingredients:

I wanted to find the Frank’s buffalo sauce, but it was not available at cute little old-fashioned Midtown, my grocery store preferida. So I went with this little mix packet, but it was MILD! Unacceptable in the Kreisel household! We had some of the regular Frank’s on hand. Why did I add Greek yogurt? We’ll never know, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Until I kept adding more yogurt. Which mean I had to add more Frank’s. It was a vicious cycle, but it ended well.

I picked up some of these Pretzel Crisps because I just pictured in my mind that they would go well with the sandwich. They actually have a Buffalo Chicken variety of Pretzel Crisps, but today we went for the Garlic Parmesan. These are my second favorite chip, right after Pop Chips. Well, let’s be honest. That’s only if we’re counting healthy chips. Otherwise we all know FLAMIN’ HOT CHEETOS are the best. Thank you, Prescott Elementary students for teaching me that important life lesson!

After lunch, I did all the dishes, swept all the floors, mopped, cleaned the bathroom, put away laundry, and prepped for dinner. I texted Kevin,”Now I know why housewives get desperate.” I’ve now plopped down in bed in front of my Macbook listening to music and checking out the new J.Crew catalog. If you know me, you know that’s My Happy Place! I’m also enjoying a Diet Coke. I figure if Kevin can have cookies every Friday, I can have a Diet Coke! Did you know he never shares those cookies? I’m serious! He eats as many as he can at lunch, and then they go in the cookie jar.

I had a few potatoes left over after the potato painting activity so I decided to craft something out of them for today’s lunch. Traditional potato salad is OUT in our household because I am a mayo hater. Miracle Whip. Whatever. All white, nasty and gross sauces are banned from my refrigerator. While rummaging around in the cupboards, I also found some leftover pesto from the Mason Jar Meals. Perfect.

I just boiled those potatoes right up (while I was working out – told you I multitask). I drained them, diced them, poured some pesto over them, and topped them with some green onions. Delicious! I really want to try this recipe for pesto potato salad with green beans. A good way to sneak in some more vegetables!

On our grocery shopping extravaganza, we bought some of my loves – the flatout artisan flatbreads. This is the Italian flavor. I topped it with hummus + veggies for a simple wrap.

We also had some apples with the chocolate PB2. I’m a huge fan of PB2. It looks like a weird health protein muscle builder freak thing because it’s powdered, but it’s actually really awesome. I like the regular pb flavor better, but Hy-Vee was out.

PB2 Powdered Peanut ButterIt’s what’s not in PB2 that makes it so good for you. For starters, our special process removes 85% of the fat calories without the chemicals typically used in producing reduced fat foods. Something else you won’t find in PB2 is preservatives. What you will find is natural roasted peanut flavor that’s also available in a rich chocolate variety.

That was my little food advertisement for the day. :)

The perfect cool meal for a blazing hot day!!!

This morning, I obeyed the LETTER of my “workout in the morning” goal but not the SPIRIT. I worked out at about 10AM. Today I was in the mood to crank some Wisin & Yandel radio while I worked out so I chose to do my own workout.

Today’s Workout – 600 Reps:

1. Half Burpees With Calve Raises – 60 reps

2. Plank Twists – 60 reps (switching legs)

3. Jump Lunges (all the way down and touch the ground slightly with your back knee) – 60 reps

I can tell the workout was effective because two hours later when I tried to lift my arms to obssessive compulsively pluck my eyebrows, they were a-shakin’! I liked the workout, but I did get tired of counting reps. My BRE was always so good at doing that for us @ the gym!

Looks like we’re going to be in Chicago for our 1 Month Anniversary! I’m so excited to meet Kevin’s grandma and some aunts & uncles. We also plan to spend some time hanging out. Any great suggestions on what to check out? I really want to go to a special cupcake bakery like Swirlz.

Have a fabulous afternoon. I’m off to tutor the kidlets, then my brother, sister-in-law, and precious nephews are coming over for dinner. I’m so excited!